Border killing is a shame for India: Momen

Staff Reporter :
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday said that the killing of Bangladeshi nationals on the Bangladesh-India border was a shameful act for India though it was a highest level decision not to kill anybody on the border. “It is very unfortunate that the Bangladeshi nationals are being killed on the border after a lapse of some time. It has been decided at the highest level that we don’t want to see a single body on the border. But it is continuing. It is unfortunate for us and shameful for India,” he said.
In replying to a query of the journalists in the Foreign Ministry,
he said, “India is a big, powerful and democratically matured country. If India cannot keep their forces under control, it is shameful for them.”
Two Bangladeshi youths were shot dead by the Indian Border Security Force along the Bangladesh-India border in Satkhira and Chuadanga on Sunday.
The victims were Md Hasanur Rahman, 25, son of Md Haidar Ali of Kushkhali village under Sadar Upazila in Satkhira and Muntaj Hossain alias Jahangir, 32, from Boldiay School Para under Damurhuda upazila in Chuadanga.
Even during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s state visit in India in the beginning of September, a Bangladeshi youth was killed in Dinajpur border by BSF. During the incident both Bangladesh and India was issuing joint statement in which it was promised to bring down border killing to zero.
The two leaders expressed their commitment to take the bilateral relations to a new height, but the killing of Bangladesh national on the Bangladesh-India borders made such commitment questionable.
Such incidents of border killing are unabated in the name that the diseased were smugglers and terrorists.
Meanwhile, about the human rights violation, Momen said, “The government does not want the violation of human rights of any individual. But the government will take measures if anyone wants to violate the human rights of any person by arson.”
About the Myanmar issue, he said that Bangladesh is anxious about Myanmar and the Rohingya crisis.
“We are much anxious about Myanmar and its Rohingya issue. We have sought China’s cooperation. But it is not that the conflict will end as soon as China tells them. It is a complex issue. There are many operators here,” he added.
He, however, said that the government has been repeatedly telling the international bodies including UK and European Union not to invest in Myanmar.
“If the big countries invest in Myanmar, then it becomes difficult to keep continuous pressure on Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis,” he added.
Regarding the landing of Myanmar’s mortar shells inside Bangladesh, Foreign Minister said, “Some of their mortar shells landed in our territory due to their internal conflict. It is unfortunate. We have repeatedly told Myanmar that such an incident is unlawful. They have assured us. But many things are out of their control as well. We don’t shelter any groups including ARSA in Bangladesh.”
Regarding the state visit of Brunei Sultan, he said, “We hope he will arrive in Dhaka on 15 October.”